Reduce: When election is over, elected officials must tackle financial woes

After tomorrow's General Election is over, elected officials will need to shift immediately from political campaigning mode to doing what's needed to reduce the government of Guam's budget.

Gov. Eddie Calvo and Public Auditor Doris Flores Brooks have said the fiscal 2013 budget isn't balanced. Calvo also has introduced a bill that would cut the budget by as much as $70 million. Senators have held some hearings on portions of the spending cuts bill, but haven't taken action on it, nor have they offered any proposals of their own to make significant reductions to government spending.

The budget reduction need takes on additional urgency with a Superior Court of Guam ruling last week that requires the local government to pay $21.67 million, plus interest, to landowners whose land was used for the new Layon Landfill. Those landowners were paid a total of $3.4 million for the land, but the court ruled that just compensation for the land is $25 million.

Our senators, and the governor, have a duty and obligation to ensure that the government lives within its means. For the past 10 years, they have failed to do so. The government routinely spent far more than it earned in revenues. This resulted in a growing deficit, as well as two bond-borrowing measures which totaled more than $300 million and took the local government almost to the limit of its borrowing capacity.

The government of Guam can't borrow significant amounts of money in the near future, which will require the government to begin by making significant cuts to the cost of the government.

This will require difficult and unpopular decisions by elected officials. But it's their job to make these decisions in the best overall interest of the community. And, after tomorrow, they no longer will have the excuse of not wanting to anger voters and face not getting re-elected.

The governor called an emergency session to pass a bill that imposes restrictions on a woman's right to have an abortion, and senators had no problem acting quickly and decisively on that issue. So both branches should have no problem doing the same to address the government's financial crisis.

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Reduce: When election is over, elected officials must tackle financial woes

After tomorrow's General Election is over, elected officials will need to shift immediately from political campaigning mode to doing what's needed to reduce the government of Guam's budget.Gov. Eddie